Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Lure of Cheapness

Sometimes, cheapness works. It was post-dinner anyway and we were walking around I12 Katong for a place to have drinks. Then from 5m away I saw the sign "Happy Hours". Upon inspecting the menu, the phrases "1-for-1 beers", "50% off snacks" and "1-for-1 mains" ushered us right into The Cartel Bistro. Damn that waiter. Moohahaha.

I'm such a slut for cheap beer. :p The pint of Kronenberg Blanc ($10.70) works out to be just $6.25 after 1-for-1! A light, refreshing beer bursting with pomelo and grapfruit notes.

A smart moove by the bistro- to qualify for 1-for-1 mains, one has to add $3.90 to the mains to get a "set" comprising of:

A bowl of soup (it was Cream of Chicken that evening) and garlic bread.

The set also comes with coffee or tea.

Below are the 1-for-1 mains we tried.

Hawaiian Pork Chop (U.P. $18.50) was a very generous portion of 3 bone-in pork cutlets with what seemed like a mushroom brown sauce and pineapple slices. Again, the flavour department lacked heaps. It was under-salted, with little flavour.

The Mississippi Chicken (U.P. $16.50)- crispy fried chicken with some sauce on it, served with fries and salad.

I found the food to be not really good here but it has a nice al fresco porch and cheap beer, making it a cosy chill out spot as long as this is not dinner. LOL. Service was pretty good though!